Fishers Youth Initiative is changing the way it raises money, moving away from one of its long-running annual fundraising events in favor of year-round partnerships with businesses, churches and community organizations.

In a recent newsletter to supporters, Executive Director Sara Ferguson announced that FYI will not host the Mayor’s Breakfast this year. The event has been a key part of the organization’s fundraising model for many years.

Instead, Ferguson said the organization is making a “strategic shift” toward more intentional, relationship-based partnerships.

“Rather than engaging partners through a single annual event, we are prioritizing year-round partnerships that create deeper connection, clearer impact, and more meaningful engagement opportunities,” Ferguson wrote.

The new approach, according to FYI, is designed to connect organizations more directly with measurable community impact, offer employee engagement opportunities through volunteering and service, provide clearer visibility into how support helps students and families, and build longer-term partnerships aligned with the goals of supporting organizations.

“We believe this model creates a stronger return—not just in visibility, but in real community impact and meaningful involvement,” Ferguson wrote.

FYI is inviting corporate and church partners interested in learning more about the new approach to contact Ferguson at https://fishersyouthinitiative.org/

The fundraising change comes as Fishers Youth Initiative continues a busy summer of programming. Ferguson said the organization’s Summer Meals distribution began in early June and is now in full swing.

The program is serving about 200 families each week. In addition to food distribution, Ferguson said FYI is able to provide community opportunities and exposure through partner organizations that assist with the effort.

The Summer Meals program will continue through the end of July. After that, FYI will transition back to Snack Attack, its school-year food insecurity program.

Ferguson said FYI is also planning for its mentoring work during the 2026-2027 school year. The organization is currently hiring for an open Director of Engagement position.

Fishers Youth Initiative works with local students and families through mentoring, food support and other community-based programs.

Hamilton County will be part of Indiana’s America 250 celebration later this week as one of the state’s Revolutionary Lanterns makes several stops around the county June 26-28.

The lantern is symbolic of the signal displayed in Boston’s Old North Church on April 18, 1775, warning colonists that British troops were on the move. That signal helped launch Paul Revere’s famous ride and became one of the enduring symbols of the American Revolution.

The Hamilton County visit is part of a statewide effort by the Indiana Daughters of the American Revolution and the Indiana America 250 Commission. Ten symbolic lanterns are touring all 92 Indiana counties as the nation prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States. The lanterns will eventually become part of a permanent display at the Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis.

As the lantern travels through Hamilton County, the Hamilton County Historical Society is encouraging residents to think about history closer to home by recording and preserving family memories and personal experiences.

“History isn’t just found in books and archives,” said Jessica Layman, Hamilton County historian. “It lives in the memories of the people who experienced it. By recording and preserving family stories today, we ensure that future generations understand not only what happened in Hamilton County, but how it felt to live, work, celebrate, and build a community here.”

Residents will have several opportunities to view the lantern during its Hamilton County visit.

On Friday, June 26, it will be displayed at the Hamilton County Judicial Center in Noblesville from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The lantern will then travel to Coxhall Gardens in Carmel for the Time Traveler’s Ball.

On Saturday, June 27, the lantern will be on display at the Arcadia Train Depot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during Nickel Plate Express caboose rides. Later that day, it will be featured during the Fishers SPARK Parade.

The final Hamilton County stop is scheduled for Sunday, June 28, at the Westfield Washington Public Library, where the lantern will be on display from 1 to 5 p.m.

The America 250 observance offers communities across the country a chance to reflect on the founding of the nation. Hamilton County officials and historians are using the lantern’s visit as a reminder that local history is built not only through major events, but also through the stories of families, neighborhoods and communities.

The Humane Society for Hamilton County is encouraging pet owners to take steps now to keep their animals safe before the Fourth of July holiday.

On Saturday, June 27, HSHC will host its Saturday Safety Microchip Match event from 9 to 11 a.m., offering discounted microchip procedures for pets. The cost will be reduced to $25 for those making a $25 donation to the shelter’s June Matching Campaign.

The first 10 people to stop by will receive one free microchip.

Shelter officials say the event is aimed at promoting pet safety during a time of year when fireworks can frighten animals and increase the risk of pets running away from home. HSHC is urging residents to make an early plan to keep pets calm during fireworks displays and to make sure ID tags and microchip information are current.

“Fireworks may be fun for us, but they can be terrifying for our pets, and with the holiday just around the corner, now is the time to take early action,” said Emma Nobbe, HSHC Community Engagement Manager. “For community members who haven’t microchipped their pets, we hope this event will give them the opportunity to keep their pet extra safe this Fourth of July.”

The Fourth of July is often one of the busiest times of the year for animal shelters taking in lost pets. Microchips provide permanent identification and can greatly improve the chances of reuniting a lost pet with its owner.

HSHC says now is the time for families to prepare their homes and pets for the holiday weekend. In addition to microchipping, pet owners should check collars and tags, keep animals indoors during fireworks, and create a quiet space where pets can feel secure.

The Humane Society for Hamilton County serves as both the animal control facility and humane society for the county. The nonprofit receives partial funding from Hamilton County for the first 10 days of basic care for animals, but relies heavily on individual donations to fund its annual operating budget.

HSHC describes its mission as “Saving Lives. Educating Communities. Completing Families.” The organization operates as an open-admission, no-kill shelter and reports it has maintained an average live placement rate of 98 percent since 2014.

Pet owners interested in the microchip event may stop by HSHC on Saturday, June 27, between 9 and 11 a.m.

Hockey fans now have a new reason to spend their Sundays at the rink: a portion of every ticket sold through a new Indy Fuel Sunday game package will go directly to the Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation (HSEF), funding classroom grants and school programs across Hamilton Southeastern Schools.

The Sunday Ticket Package is a 10-game plan built around family-friendly perks — three postgame skates, four specialty jersey nights, and kids eat free at every Sunday game in the package. Every ticket purchased through HSEF’s designated link turns a night out into a contribution to local students and educators.

Fans who want to take part can place a deposit through the HSEF ticket link to reserve their Sunday plan.

The ticket program is the first concrete way the public can support a much larger commitment announced this week: a new 10-year partnership between HSEF and the Hallett Sports Foundation that is expected to generate $1 million for Hamilton Southeastern Schools. The money will fund classroom grants, enhance school programs, and support opportunities for students and staff.

Rather than a single donation, the partnership is built on ongoing fundraising led by the Indy Fuel and Fishers Freight — designated games, ticket programs like the Sunday package, and community engagement activities that add up over the life of the agreement.

“We believe meaningful change is created through long-term commitment and community participation,” said Sean Hallett, CEO of Hallett Sports. “This pledge creates an opportunity for fans, partners, and supporters to directly contribute to educational impact through experiences that bring our community together. We are excited to support the Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation and invest in opportunities that will benefit students for years to come.”

“We are incredibly grateful for this transformational commitment,” said Justin Hirnisey, executive director of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation. “A partnership built around sustained community engagement and long-term support creates meaningful opportunities for our students and schools.”

For local families, the message is simple: a Sunday Fuel game is now also a way to give back to neighborhood classrooms — and the more tickets sold through HSEF, the more dollars flow to Hamilton Southeastern students and teachers.

The Big Ten Volleyball tournament — coming to Fishers for the first time this November — will serve as Grand Marshal of the Spark!Fishers parade, headlining a reimagined two-day festival on June 26 and 27. Parks and Recreation Director Marissa Deckert shared the news on the latest episode of the LarryInFishers.com podcast, along with a full preview of what many consider the biggest event on the city’s calendar.

“That’s a huge event coming to Fishers,” Deckert said, noting the tournament will also activate the lawn space at the festival with volleyball-themed photo ops, activations and ways for fans to get involved. The drone show, she added, will tie in nods to both the Grand Marshal and the nation’s 250th celebration.

A new two-day format

The biggest change this year is the schedule itself. After several years of spreading activities across an entire week, the city has condensed everything into Friday and Saturday.

“We kind of went back to basics,” Deckert said. “People are very busy. There are families that are really busy… I don’t want people to have to choose. I want them to have the best of all worlds.” The result, she said, is a denser, more energetic “hometown community feel” packed into two days, with live music, food, art, sports and activities downtown — without losing the pieces that made past festivals popular.

Friday: free concert and drone show

Friday night features a free concert by a Pink tribute band, complete with an aerial performance. “While we can’t afford Pink in person, we have a tribute band, and she is going to be doing an aerial experience at the end,” Deckert said. The night closes with the festival’s signature drone show, now a Spark staple after Fishers was among the first in Central Indiana to stage one.

Saturday: street fair, car and art show, parade and fireworks

Saturday’s events begin at 4 p.m. and run into the evening, bringing together the street fair, the combined car and art show, more than 100 food and art vendors, the parade and a fireworks finale. The parade — roughly 100 units strong — steps off at 7 p.m., but Deckert urged car fans to arrive early: the registered classic vehicles stage on the west side of Municipal at 6:30 p.m. before rolling out 116th Street as a “pre-parade parade.”

This year’s stages — seven entertainment spots, programmed with help from the Fishers Arts Council — carry a Revolutionary War theme courtesy of the city’s communications team. The main amp becomes the George Washington Stage, with the Ben Franklin variety stage, the Paul Revere solo stage, the John Adams duo stage, the Alexander Hamilton rock band showcase, the Liberty Little kids stage and the St. John George Drum Circle, named for George Washington’s drummer boy.

What’s new — and what’s not

The festival is leaning into engagement over standing in line. The Ferris wheel and the giant inflatables of years past are gone. “I want every single person to be engaged all the time and avoid standing in line waiting for one activity,” Deckert said.

In their place: a silent disco with an LED light floor and three DJ channels, drum circles, a thrift-a-thon (an idea born in the Mayor’s Youth Academy) paired with the vintage car show, and a full children’s area featuring a dedicated kids stage, a petting zoo, the Fishers High School robotics team, and life-sized building blocks just north of the Central Green. A showcase of local music schools — School of Rock and Bach to Rock — will perform in the Meijer Niagam lot.

Accessibility, parking and logistics

Spark!Fishers continues its emphasis on sensory inclusivity, offering sensory bags, weighted lap pads, noise-reducing headphones, communication cards and assisted listening devices at the stages — with the goal of keeping families together rather than separating them into a designated hour or area.

Parking and shuttle service have changed this year. The free shuttle now runs from Cross Point Plaza, at the Heavenly Books building on Lantern Road, dropping riders near Hotel Nickel Plate with no break in service throughout the festival.

If you go

• Friday, June 26: Free concert and drone show
• Saturday, June 27: Street fair opens at 4 p.m.; car and art show stages at 6:30 p.m.; parade steps off at 7 p.m.; fireworks finale to close the night

The LarryInFishers.com podcast is sponsored by Citizens State Bank. 

Listen to my podcast conversation with Marissa Deckert at this link or the link below.

I have always been intrigued by history — world, national, and local alike. So when the Hamilton East Public Library in Noblesville hosted a local history fair last Saturday, it was an easy decision to spend part of the afternoon there.

There was much to see and much to hear. With the nation preparing to mark its 250th birthday in 2026, there was plenty to learn about the broader American story. But the real treasure was closer to home. People from all corners of Hamilton County had gathered to share the history of their own particular piece of it — the towns, families, churches, and settlements that, stitched together, make up the county we know today.

I decided to bring along my new iPhone and capture some video. Unfortunately, when you pair a man of my age with brand-new technology, bad things can happen.

I recorded what I thought was some fascinating video with folks from the Fishers Historical Society and the Hamilton County Historical Society. Both had wonderful stories and a wealth of information to share. Sadly, those interviews never made it past the technical difficulties — a lesson learned, and an apology owed.

I did, however, manage to successfully record an interview with Bryan Glover of Roberts Settlement, and it was well worth the trouble. Roberts Settlement is one of the county’s most remarkable chapters: a rural community in Jackson Township founded in the 1830s by free families of color who migrated north from North Carolina, seeking land they could own and a measure of safety in an unsettled time. By 1840 the settlement had grown to about ten families and some 900 acres; by the 1870s it numbered roughly 300 residents. Roberts Chapel, built in the community’s early years and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, still stands — and every year since 1925, descendants have returned for an annual Homecoming. It is living history, and Hamilton County is fortunate to have it.

You will find a link to that interview below, along with links to learn more about Roberts Settlement and about the historical societies for Fishers and Hamilton County.

Our local area has a rich history. I would encourage you to go learn more about it. You may be surprised by what is sitting right in your own backyard.

Roberts Settlement

Fishers Historical Society

Hamilton County Historical Society

Father’s Day is a special day for me in two different ways.

First, I celebrate the privilege of being a father myself to twin daughters. Second, I remember my own father, who left us 32 years ago.

My daughters gave me a very special Father’s Day present this year. It was a collection of some of my favorite junk food, along with photos of me at their weddings. Walking Allison and Mary down the aisle will always be among the best memories of my life.

Being a dad is special under any circumstance. It is even more meaningful when “daddy’s little girls” grow up to become outstanding young women. Allison and Mary have done exactly that, and now they are wonderful mothers themselves.

I am also fortunate to have two outstanding sons-in-law, Jacob Lewis and Tyler Cahill. They deserve to celebrate this day as well. They are the best dads my grandkids could have.

Then there are the memories of my own father.

Dad left us at the far-too-young age of 64, but he left behind a legacy that continues through his six children and a very special collection of grandchildren.

My dad was known for many things, but one aspect of his life that should never be forgotten is the work he put into the credit union movement. He firmly believed in the idea of people joining together to form a nonprofit financial institution designed to serve its members.

During the early 1950s, when he first started working at the Army Finance Center at 56th Street and Post Road in Lawrence, now known as DFAS, he immediately volunteered to serve on the credit committee at the Finance Center Federal Credit Union.

It is hard to imagine now, but at that time, credit unions like Finance Center offered little more than savings accounts and car loans. Today, credit unions are full-service financial institutions, offering many of the same services banks provide.

My dad quickly moved onto the board of directors for Finance Center Federal and remained there until shortly before his passing. He served as board president during an important period when credit unions were being allowed to expand the services they offered and the people they could serve.

He also led the board when construction began on the headquarters building on 56th Street, near I-465, across from Lawrence Central High School. That building remains the headquarters for what is now known as Financial Center First Credit Union, which currently operates under a state rather than federal charter.

I could write hundreds of words about what my dad accomplished in his life. But for this Father’s Day, suffice it to say that Bernie Lannan believed deeply in the credit union concept and supported his own credit union with countless hours of volunteer service on its board of directors.

Had he served on the board of a commercial bank, he likely would have been paid for that work. Bernie Lannan was satisfied to do it as a volunteer.

So, to all fathers, happy Father’s Day 2026. Enjoy your special day.

When Dixie Wooten spoke with Fishers Freight play-by-play announcer Andrew Smith earlier in the week, he made it clear there was no taking the Iowa Barnstormers lightly. They have only one win on the season, but they are a squad with a new coach rebuilding the team with an eye on preparing for the 2027 season. Then the oddsmakers said the Freight were 26.5-point favorites going into Saturday night’s contest at the Fishers Event Center. Turns out the oddsmakers underestimated the outcome.

Hosting Iowa for the second time this season and the third meeting overall, Fishers chased the season sweep and got it, rolling to a 55-13 victory that set a new franchise record for largest margin of victory.

The Freight wasted no time. Josiah King ran in a touchdown on the opening drive, and after a Calum Sutherland kick, Fishers led 7-0. A bad snap and a sack of Iowa quarterback Dante Aviles-Santos handed the ball right back when Tre Smalls recovered the loose ball, and King soon punched in his second score for a 14-0 edge. Iowa answered with a touchdown late in the quarter, but a missed extra point kept it 14-6. Quarterback Felix Harper then kept it himself just before the buzzer to make it 21-6.

Iowa stayed within reach early in the second on a long Aviles-Santos strike to Demonte Martin, trimming the lead to 21-13. From there, the Freight pulled away. A blocked Iowa field goal set up King’s third touchdown of the night for a 28-13 cushion. Sutherland then recovered his own onside kick — a call upheld on review — and Fishers cashed it in when King scored again with 18 seconds left in the half, off a long Harper pass to Coulter, for a 35-13 lead.

The second half belonged entirely to Fishers. Jordan Davis scored twice in the third quarter, the second coming after a Nicholas Lenon interception, pushing the lead to 48-13. In the fourth, Darius Long blocked another Iowa field goal and Jaylin Swan recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown and the final margin of 55-13. The Freight held Iowa scoreless after halftime, and with one minute to go, Harper’s relief — and the offense — knelt the clock out.

The 42-point win broke the franchise record of 41 points, set last season in another win over Iowa to close the year.

The Freight are now 7-6, very much in the hunt for the final two playoff slots in the Indoor Football League Eastern Conference. The final three games of the season are on the road at Green Bay and Quad Cities, with the regular season finale at home against Orlando. It is a challenging schedule to mark the end of the 2026 regular season. If Fishers makes the playoffs, they will have to earn it.

It is officially summer so the road construction listing in and around Fishes continues to be a long one.  Be aware of the Spark Fishers Festival coming up June 26 & 27 that will impact traffic in the downtown Fishers Nickel Plate District those two days.

Here is the summary of major area construction, followed by the complete list, as provided by the City of Fishers:

• 96th Street and Cyntheanne Road – Full Closure -Follow detour route
• 136th Street Widening – Southeastern Parkway to Prairie Baptist Road – Follow detour route
• 116th and Allisonville Intersection Improvements Project – Down to one lane in all directions
• Lantern Road – Closure at Morgan Drive from June 8 – 19
• Southeastern Parkway & Olio Road Roundabout Improvements – Periodic lane restrictions

SPARK!Fishers – Various road closures & Parking restrictions

Continue reading Weekly Fishers-Area Road Construction Report →

The Fishers Black Leaders Club, a student organization at Fishers High School, again sponsored one of the best Juneteenth celebrations in the area Friday night. Conner Prairie served as the host site, and perfect early-summer weather drew a large and wonderfully diverse crowd to the gathering.

The evening offered something for everyone. Vendors lined the grounds, music filled the air, inflatables kept the youngsters busy, and a lineup of food trucks rounded out a special night in Fishers. Set against the open lawns of the living-history museum, the celebration had the easy, festive feel of a community coming together.

Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, commemorates June 19, 1865 — the day Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people there were free. The news came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation and about two months after the Civil War’s end, marking the moment freedom finally reached the last enslaved Americans. Congress designated Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021.

That a celebration this vibrant was organized by Fishers High School students speaks to the leadership taking root in the next generation — and to a community eager to mark the day together.

Here are additional photos from the 2026 Fishers Juneteenth celebration.

Continue reading Fishers Black Leaders Club Hosts Standout Juneteenth Celebration at Conner Prairie →